Through A Tiger's Eyes
by Kalgante
Summary: This is the back story for my military tiger OC Needles and the war through his eyes. i will also be accepting OC's from both sides of the war both tigers and others, be sure to include their back stories.
1. Chapter 1

[hello all. I have mentioned this story to a few people. This is the back story to my OC Needles. Now then, there's a lot to the war so I am also going to be taking OC's for this. That aside most of this story will be taking place from Needles's point of view. I also intend to make a similar story for my OC Reuger and will use all of the OC's I get here for that as well. All other info at the bottom but read on and enjoy!]

The tiger was thrown face down into the muck as rain poured down around him. He was grabbed from behind and yanked back up. The tiger swiped backwards missing the assailant only to receive a powerful punch to the face and be sent back down into the mud. All around them were the sounds of cheering as the tiger stared into the sky with rain pouring onto his mucky face. He attempted to sit up but didn't have the strength. He watched his assailant approach him and lift him from the ground again.

"Enough!" shouted a voice silencing the rowdy crowd.

The battered and muddy tiger staggered to his feet and looked towards the interloper. His image was blurry from the blood and grime covering his face but the pain from the following backhand was clear. The limp tiger began a decent into the mud yet again but was caught by the fur on his chest by the same hand that struck him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here Needles!" the voice growled.

The tiger tried to focus his gaze onto the one accosting him but seen little through the haze.

"Stupid son of a bitch!" the creature growled.

"You know this brat Zaz?" one of the onlookers asked.

Needles managed to focus on the interloper just enough to recognize him as a tiger, and one he knew. The tiger that held him spun him around and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck causing him to curl up like a kitten. The tigers who had been watching the scuffle began to chuckle but the tiger carrying Needles silenced them as he made his way down the rain slicked streets.

"Damnit Needles, what the hell is the matter with you, this is the stupidest stunt I've ever seen you pull" the tiger growled.

Needles's eyes wandered lazily in his daze. He watched the ground pass beneath him in a blur barely conscious. Zaz stopped talking but Needles could hear him muttering to himself as he was carried onward. Before Needles realized it he was carried to the door of a small residence. His gaze floated upwards to the brass handle of the door. Zaz knocked on the door and after a short while it cracked open. Needles couldn't see who had opened it but whoever it was swung the door open and began freaking out.

"Wha, Needles! What happened!" someone shouted in a woman's voice.

Needles watched the floor boards pass as he was carried inside and dropped.

"Zaz! What did you do that for!" the woman asked frantically.

"Found you son picking fights with the soldiers" said Zaz

In the light of the house the tigers could be clearly seen. Zaz was crimson with red stripes and a worn and dirty tiger uniform. Needles was some toxic looking shade of yellow with stripes of a burnt orange color, at least, that's what could be seen through the muck covering him. The woman was of a regular yellow color with darker yellow stripes. Needles staggered to his feet using a dining room table as support. His head turned to the woman with a faint scowl across his face.

"Needles, how could you? I told you to just ignore them, why don't you ever listen, you know we can't afford if anything happened to you" the woman scolded.

Needles attempted to speak but was too tired to really say anything.

"The army is going to be pissed when they hear about this" said Zaz to the woman.

"Fuck… the… army" Needles managed to growl as he clenched a chair.

"Needles! I'm sorry about my son Zaz, please don't be angry with him" said the woman.

"I'm not, the soldiers will be however" said Zaz.

"What's going on out here… Zaz, what's going on?" said a tiger wheeling himself into the room.

As was implied, the tiger was wheelchair bound using his arms to move himself. His fur was blue, common for the tigers but his stripes were bright orange.

"Your son was out picking fights with the soldiers, I had to drag his stupid ass back here like a child" said Zaz.

"What! What trouble did he cause?" the tiger in the wheelchair asked.

"Assault on an official, he's lucky showed up or he'd be a coat right now. He'll be even luckier if he doesn't get court marshaled" said Zaz.

"Are you serious! is there anything you can do?" the wheelchair bound tiger asked.

"I can try… but with tensions as they are now… I just don't know. If anything does come up I'll be sure I'm the one who informs you… until then I recommend keeping him inside" said Zaz.

"I see… well, thank you brother… I'm sorry about our son" said the wheelchair bound tiger.

"I recommend you two pray for him… this is a very serious matter… I will see you all again…" said Zaz turning to leave the house.

Needles's parent's turned their attention to him and he scowled back.

What were you thinking Needles! How many times have we told you to leave the army alone!" Needles's parents asked.

"They're assholes" said Needles recovering his breath.

"Idiot! You don't realize what the military is capable of, they could have killed you!" Needles father shouted.

"Shut the hell up! Them bastards have been fucking the town up since they showed up! Someone needs to kick their fucking asses!" Needles shouted.

"Watch you mouth Needles!" shouted Needles's mother.

"Yea they occupied the town, but guess what Needles, there's nothing we can fucking do about it, understand! You should be more concerned with keeping them from conscripting you, your uncle is doing everything in his power to protect you and you are only causing him more problems" said Needles's father.

Needles fell silent and stared at the floor.

"Please Needles, this is very serious. Please don't do anything like this again, you father and I just want you to be safe… now please, go wash up, I'll heat up supper for you" said Needles's mom.

Needles stared at them and his scowl eventually faded as he limped his way to the bathroom. The rest of the night was relatively silent. He washed off the dirt and grime to reveal a coat of fur that always looked dirty, especially his brown feet and belly. He ate a dinner of ham left over from the previous night. Afterwards he found himself some much needed rest.

Needles awoke to the smell of bacon on the stove. The house was of an odd design, his bed was in a cubby hole at the back of the living room/dining room and the kitchen was at the other end. There was a bathroom right next to the stairs and up stairs near Needles's parent's room. As a result, there was a ramp installed there as well. Needles rolled out of bed still very sore from yesterday's brawl. He walked over to his mother who greeted him with a shining smile making him do the same. Needles couldn't see it but his mother's tail twitched nervously every so often.

"Morning hun, you get a good rest?" Needles's mother asked.

"Slept like a log ma" Needles replied.

"I could tell, your snoring last night was enough to wake the neighbors" said Needles's mother.

Needles blushed a bit and breathed a raspy breath to himself. He waited as his mother finished their breakfast and his father wheeled himself over to the table. Needles's mother served their breakfast and sat down to eat. Conversation was limited however and Needles's mother wore an awkward smile the entire time. Needles could feel the unpleasant tension in the air. He finished his breakfast and his mom promptly took the dishes from him. There was something about it that Needles didn't like. He stood up and made his way to the couch to turn on the TV, he hated the silence in the house so this helped. The day passed on much like this with his mother being awkwardly cheery and kind, asking Needles if she could get him anything and taking care of his chores herself. All this kindness couldn't stop the inevitable as they heard a knock at the door. Needles's mother froze in her tracks and the smile she had been wearing all day faded to a look of dread. She stared at the door, not wanting to answer it but the knocking continued. Needles's mother briefly considered hiding her son but forced herself not to be so crazy. She made her way over to the front door, breathed deeply and opened it. Just as she had feared, Zaz stood just on the other side and his face confirmed her fears.

"I'm going to need Needles" said Zaz.

Needles's mother stared at the tiger then broke down and fell to her knees. Her husband wheeled his way over to comfort her. Zaz looked over to Needles who sneered at him and didn't budge.

"You're going to have to come with me Needles" said Zaz.

"Fuck you, I'm not going anywhere" Needles growled.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, either you come with me or the army will be on there way to bring you in" said Zaz.

"Then have them drag their asses down here and get me" Needles growled.

"Enough of this Needles! This is a serious matter, it was hard enough making them send me to get you, any others probably wouldn't hesitate to dismember you for what you did. Now come along, I want to get this over with" said Zaz.

Needles stared up at the crimson tiger, his sneer growing into a scowl as he reluctantly stood up and approached his uncle. Needles looked back at his parents and his heart felt torn to pieces seeing them like that. As Zaz grabbed his hand his claws extended subconsciously and stuck Zaz in the palm. Zaz squeezed Needles's hand causing Needles to retract them as he was dragged away from his grieving mother and father.

Needles followed silently through the mostly empty streets. The rain had cleared overnight leaving only muddy pathways in it's wake. He was dragged by the hand to the town house and brought inside. the interior was littered with tiger soldiers who watched as Zaz dragged Needles up stairs and through a large set of double doors. Inside was just what you would expect for a command post. Sitting at a desk in the center of the room was the one who appeared to be in charge. A blue tiger dressed in a well decorated suit.

"So this is your insubordinate nephew" said the commander.

"Yes this is him, I understand you have already come to your decision on his punishment?" Zaz asked.

"Indeed. Listen to me punk, you're lucky you have an uncle like Zaz, we've decided not to have you executed, instead, you will be serving the great tiger general in his army" said the commander.

"That's bullshit! Fuck you and fuck the tiger general! I shouldn't have to suffer just because you assholes-!" Needles shouted before having his mouth covered by Zaz's hand.

Every tiger in the room drew their weapons on him.

"Silence Needles! He accepts your generous offer" said Zaz.

"Your nephew has quite a mouth on him, he'll need to learn to watch what comes out of it or we'll make a carpet out of that rotten looking coat of his" said the commander.

Needles's mouth was uncovered and he looked to the commander.

"Don't I even get a say in this" said Needles.

"It has already been decided, your fate was ours the moment you attacked one of my men. your voice means nothing grunt. starting tomorrow we're shipping you out with every other lowlife conscript we've scavenged out of this dingy little town, I recommend saying your goodbyes because the next time you see your family, it'll be from the inside of a soup can" said the commander.

Needles stared and scowled in silence at the commander. He had never seen this coming.

[that's the start folks, hope you like it. Now then I will be taking OC's for this story. I am taking Military OC's and tigers, though this story mostly takes place from Needles's point of view, I will be exploring everyone's back stories so make sure to include them. Now then, here's the skinny on what I need.

Name:

Age:

Species:

Gender:

Appearance:

Personality:

Relationships with other characters:

Skills/abilities:

Bio: (this will be explored quite a bit so include it if they have one):

Misc: (various information that does not fit into any other categories):

As I said, I will also be using all of them for the story I make for Reuger. Anyway I think this says everything I need it to say so R&R, see ya!]


	2. Getting Your Feet Wet

[Here comes chapter 2 I've been a bit laggy on my story updates but I can assure you that I am working on them all. Now then as you read last chapter Needles has found himself conscripted into the tiger army what shall happen now?]

Needles made his way out of the townhouse. He didn't know how much time he had left before he would be shipped out the thought of running appeared briefly in his head before he smacked himself for thinking like that, he'd refuse to let the tiger army get the best of him like that. He looked around but there wasn't anyone around who he had any real need to say goodbye to, aside from a few friends who came to mind… and his parents… the thought of them grieving made him decide to leave them alone for now. He decided to visit a friend, Mel was his name, maybe he'd get some cookies while he was at it. He looked to a soldier standing nearby, a very unpleasant look on his face. Needles laughed to himself as he thought of a way to piss him off without any real repercussion. As he passed by the tiger he allowed himself to break wind… loudly. Needles chuckled to himself and as the smell reached the soldiers nose his disgusted look became even more so, then changed to fury. The soldier looked to Needles who was chuckling a raspy chuckle to himself with a wide grin, and charged him. Needles did nothing as the soldier scooped him up by his neck and began growling at him.

"You rotten little bastard, just because you're with us now doesn't mean we won't still kill you" the soldier growled.

"Hey relax soldier man, I didn't do anything wrong, everybody does it right?" Needles asked feeling smug.

"Arrogant little prick" the soldier growled throwing him to the ground.

Needles sat up and prepared to defend himself.

"Enough, he's one of ours now" bellowed Zaz as he left the building.

"Someone's gotta teach this little prick his place" the soldier growled.

Zaz rushed over to him and grabbed him by the collar, then proceeded to throw him to the ground.

"And you need to learn yours, that was an order soldier, now get back to your station" Zaz growled.

The soldier rose to his feet and glared at Zaz, then to Needles and returned to his post. Just as Needles was about to deliver a parting taunt, his uncle began to speak again.

"And you Needles need to grow up and stop pissing off the troops, you're going to need them if you want to stay alive got it?" Zaz growled.

Needles's grin faded and he slowly nodded.

"You should be off saying goodbye to everyone now, we're going to be moving out soon and there will be no turning back" said Zaz as he left.

Needles looked down and decided to say goodbye to his friends first. The thought of seeing his parents bothered him so he'd stop by there afterwards. For now he made his way to Mel's house, it had been a little while since the two last hung out, pretty much ever since the soldiers arrived to town. To think, he was on his way to tell his friend that he was conscripted, Needles wondered how he might react. There were only a few soldiers left in town, to think, he had almost avoided such a situation entirely. Needles hadn't really taken notice of that fact yet, not like it would matter now. Needles passed through central street until he came across the house he had been searching for. The walls had yet to be painted thus were still bare wood. The door however was red and Needles knocked on it. There was no response however, something Needles had expected. His mother barely answered the door either these days. Needles knocked again but still got nothing.

"Hey, open the damn door already, it's Needles!" Needles shouted.

Afterwards he immediately heard the footsteps of someone hurrying towards the door. He watched as it swung open to reveal a blue furred and green striped tiger in a white blouse.

"Oh Needles, hurry in" she said motioning for Needles to enter.

Needles obeyed and entered the house. His gaze shifted around the room and the smell of cookies was non existent.

"Hey, is Mel around?" Needles asked.

It was now that the tiger noticed the face of the tiger who had let him in. it was Mel's mother, that much he already knew, but her face was a mess and makeup was smeared all over. With Needle's question entering her ears she broke down reminding him just of how his mother looked. Needles began to feel sick. Then the sound of footsteps emanated from behind him on the set of stairs leading up to the second floor. There stood a young tiger who had blue stripes and lighter blue fur. He held a stuffed cat in his arm.

"Oh no, mommy's crying again" said the tiger running up to her. "Please mommy, stop, you don't need to cry."

The child's words didn't seem to affect her or even the one saying them as he began to cry as well. Needles felt an anger well up inside of him and he bared his teeth.

"What's the matter, what happened?" Needles asked, he had an idea of what the answer would be.

The mother looked up to him and another rush of tears shot from her eyes.

"Oh god they took him. They took my baby, he's gone Needles he's gone!" the mother wailed.

"What! You're fucking kidding me, the army took Mel!" Needles growled.

The mother looked up at him and nodded. Needles looked to the door as homicidal thoughts targeted towards the soldiers entered his mind. He made his way towards the door.

"Needles wait! Don't go- out there. They'll take you next" said the mother.

"Ha ha. Too fucking late for that one, them bastards claimed ownership of me just a little while ago" Needles growled with an emotion filled grin on his face.

"N-no, th-they got you too?" the mother asked.

"Yep, punishment for interrupting their drunken orgy last night" said Needles.

There was a silence for a moment.

"How… just how could they keep doing this to us. We fund their army, why do they have to take all of you away from us?" the mother asked.

"Cause that's their political bullshit the fuckers love to pull this shit" Needles growled.

Needles moved closer towards the door.

"Please be careful Needles… and please, look after Mel… war just isn't in his blood" the mother said.

Needles was silent for a moment. He had planned on charging outside and trying to kill the first soldier he seen. But thanks to Mel's mother saying that he found he had second thoughts.

"Yea, I'll look out for him, have some cookies ready for us when we get back huh? You know I'm gonna be craving them the whole time right?" Needles asked with a smile.

The mother looked to him and a smile spread across her face.

"Ok, don't be reckless Needles" said the mother.

Needles looked to her and laughed loudly. Before leaving the house. Thanks to that little conversation his spirits lifted a bit and he was actually smiling. He was now ready to go and say goodbye to his parents.

Needles was suddenly grabbed by the left wrist and was being pulled along.

"Hey what the fuck is the matter with you!" Needles shouted to the soldier who had grabbed him.

"We're moving out, we're not going to fall behind because of a little punk like you" said the soldier.

"Let go of me asshole, I haven't even said goodbye to my parents yet!" Needles shouted even louder which painfully entered the ears of the soldier.

"tough fucking luck kid, you should have thought about that before" the soldier stated.

Needles revealed the claws on his freehand and quickly dug them into the soldier's wrist. With the slight slack he now had he quickly pulled his hand from the soldier's grasp and darted off towards his house. However he was soon ambushed by three more soldiers who did their best to hold the frenzied tiger.

"Let go of me you fucking assholes!" Needles shouted.

The soldiers held on tight and gradually made their way to the edge of town.

Needles was hoisted into the back of a covered truck transport and dropped. After a long struggle the tiger was fatigued but his fury had only grown. He made an attempt to climb out of the truck but as it was his uncle stood directly in front of him.

"Tell these crotch lickers to let me go!" Needles shouted.

"Relax Needles, there's nothing you or I can do now, but if you have any sense whatsoever you will listen to everything I tell you" said Zaz.

Needles silenced himself, partially due to the fact that he was so tires and decided to listen to Zaz.

"Now then, the first thing I suggest is that you get to know some of these people in the truck with you three of these trucks, one of them being yours are headed to Muddy brook, it's an outpost. There are two more groups heading to other outposts. When you arrive you will be given your squads and go from there. Now then, I have a truck to drive, we are heading to the same place Needles" said Zaz.

Needles nodded and watched Zaz leave. He turned around to see a number of conscripts much like himself sitting on either side of the truck. In stared at them, looking them over and some stared back. He responded with a sneer and looked for a place to sit. At that point the noticed an electric green tiger with blue stripes sitting to the left side of the truck. His sneer turned into a grin as he made his way over to the tiger who wore a surprised look.

"So there you are Mel" said Needles.

"Needles? They got you too huh?" green tiger said.

"Yep, looks like it. So what did you do to piss them off?" Needles asked sitting beside Mel and the truck began to move.

"Nothing, they just barged into the house and told my mom and I that I was going to serve the nation, then they just grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to their camp" said Mel "and how did they get you… actually, you know what, I think I'd rather not know"

"And just what the hell are you two whining about?" said a voice from across the truck.

"Who the fuck said that!" Needles growled as he peered around the truck.

His eyes came in contact with nobody else's except for someone who appeared to be a crimson spiky haired coyote, one of the few non tiger conscripts on truck. The coyote stared at him with eyes almost egging him on. A tactic that against Needles, easily worked. Still Needles only gave hi a scowl. He was almost positive that this was the one who had said it but with his current lack of energy chose not to jump to any conclusions. Needles's own eyes flared with annoyance and Mel read this.

"Needles, don't give in to him, he isn't worth it" said Mel.

Needles noticed annoyance form in the eyes of the coyote which settled him as psychological pain was just as nice a physical against his enemies.

"So you guys were forced to join huh? Neither of you had the balls to join on your own?" the coyote asked.

"The fuck you say!" Needles growled shooting up from his seat.

As he stood up Needles lost his balance thanks to the truck's movement and fell to the grungy floor. The coyote laughed at him while the other conscripts seemed to shy away from the fire that had begun to grow. Needles stood up again, this time prepared for the movement and sinking his claws into the wood of the floor.

"You're not gonna last a day man" said the coyote.

"And you're not gonna last the fucking truck ride asshole, I'm gonna tear out your fucking guts!" Needles growled making his way over to the coyote.

The coyote shot up and grinned preparing to tussle with Needles just as Mel dove at his friend and held him.

"Needles, sit back down. This is pointless" Mel pleaded.

"This has nothing to do with you kid, so sit your ass back down and enjoy the fucking show" said the coyote, he seemed to be getting really fired up.

Needles was suddenly grabbed hard from behind and was passed by a soldier who apprehended the coyote.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Needles and the coyote both shouted in unison.

"Get back into your fucking seats, we can't afford the new meat to start wasting each other before we even get to camp" the soldier holding Needles said.

The soldiers forced the two back into their seats and squeezed their way back into the cabin. Needles and the coyote's eyes locked, Needles didn't think he'd find somebody to hate even more than the soldiers. Homicidal images flowed through Needles's head and a grin formed on his face as they got more comedic. It was quite possible this guys was thinking the same things. Fortunately for Needles thoughts were more than adequate in this situation to satisfy him. He glanced over to Mel who looked back at him, worry in his expression. It was now that Needles realized just how tired he was. He looked behind him out of the canvas flap that covered the truck. The countryside was rolling by and several jeeps were following alongside them. He faced forward again and went to sleep.

The truck came to a bumpy stop knocking a sleeping Mel against Needles waking them both up. Needles yawned and looked around the truck as soldiers began entering their section. They were taking the conscripts by the hand and pulling them out of their seats then sending them towards the back of the truck. Others got the message and stood up before the soldiers got to them Needles was still a bit dazed after his rest but Mel kept tugging on his arm trying to get him to stand up. The soldiers gladly did that for him however when they neared him.

"Get your fucking hands off me" Needles growled.

"Keep moving meat" said one of the soldiers shoving him forward.

Needles glared at the coyote as he passed by him, and the coyote glared back. Needles followed the rest and hopped out of the truck. It was dark out and the air stunk of methane. Needles felt the soggy ground mush beneath his feet as he landed. He looked around to see hundreds of silhouettes of trees. He followed the group to see that they had made it to a small encampment with several tents set up all around and lights illuminating them. It was painfully obvious , even in the dark, that this was a freaking swamp. Needles really hadn't expected much else but it still seemed like a kick to the face. Needles was caught up in the center of the crowd as they were shoved along to the center of the camp. As they neared it a stocky tiger dressed in a military uniform strolled out of the largest tent in the camp followed by what appeared to be a female tiger with a clip board. Everyone from each of the trucks made their way here though many of them were soldiers and not conscripts. Zaz took position next to a much messier looking tiger who wore a sneer. Zaz's expression however was calm and serious. The stocky tiger wasted little time to get started and began speaking in a loud growling voice.

"Alright you poor slobs, you all have been selected to serve your country and it's exalted leaders in it's effort to claim this land at it's fullest. We need young people like yourselves in order to keep our troop count high and to keep out goals moving forward. I'm sure all of you have many questions. You will have your answers in due time. For now know that you are greatly needed to further the cause of our exalted general and the entirety of the tiger nation. Now then. You have been brought here to receive your squads. We are currently supplying soon to be soldiers like yourselves to two of out most decorated officers. Would you two please introduce yourselves?" the stocky tiger asked.

"General Zaz division twelve guerilla tactics officer" said Zaz stepping forward.

"General Glades division nine reconnaissance and Intel" the messy furred blue tiger.

"At ease, thank you generals. Now my assistant Mazzie will be assigning you to your squads" said stocky tiger.

Mazzie began to read the names of everyone and who was to be in charge of them. Needles looked around for the coyote, not wanting to end up in the same squad as him. There was a good fifty fifty chance of it unfortunately. The first name spoken that stood out was Mel's. Needles immediately felt sick when he heard that his friend was going to be with Glades and his teeth gritted together. His head was on fire right now knowing that not only were they not going to be in the same squad but he knew how dependable Zaz was. Still, Needles could only wait to see who he was going to be with.

"Tame, you are assigned to general Glades's squad" said Mazzie.

Needles waited to see who would step forward until he noticed that same crimson coyote that he almost fought on the truck stepping forward reluctantly, giving a nasty look to the ones in charge. A huge sense of relief rushed over the tiger. He at least knew that he wouldn't be stuck with him now. Needles waited for his own name to be called and he paid close attention to Zaz's group until then, sizing them up.

"Needles, you are going to be with general Glades's squad" said Mazzie.

Upon hearing that said Needles fell dumbstruck.

"You're fucking Kidding me, did you even read that! I'm supposed to be with Zaz!" Needles growled.

"No you are not. We understand that you are his nephew but we also understand that you are going to need to be wiped into shape if you are going to prove a competent soldier" said the stocky tiger.

Needles fell silent and a look of bewilderment followed him all the way to his squad. He waited in silence for the rest of the squad to form, contempt seething in his mind. He remained oblivious to everything until the squads parted. He watched as Zaz and his new recruits made their way elsewhere into the swamp. He wasn't expecting this either but what could he do at this point.

"Alright scumbags, you already know what to call me so let me give it to you straight. We are reconnaissance and intelligence, our jobs are to scout out enemy positions and learn whatever we can about them. This is not something we'd usually drag a bunch nosebleeds in to do but the general wants every squad to make full use of conscripts. Now then for those of you without a backbone, your job is to be a fucking meat shield and die so the more capable of you don't need to. You all prove to me that you're even semi competent and we may be able to embark on missions that could yet win us this war. We start running drills bright and early tomorrow so go get some grub from the mess hall and pick a tent to sleep in. Dismissed!" Glades shouted.

Members of the squad looked around, locating the mess hall via a sign dangling above it. Most of them moved without question but just as would be expected they were cautious. Needles sauntered a little bit forward and looked back at Glades who already had his gaze locked onto the tiger. Needles's eyes narrowed at him. He already hated this guy. Speaking of hatred, he then began looking around for Tame who moved at the back of the crowd. The coyote turned his head back to see Needles staring at him and he stared back, the tension in their eyes obvious.

"You coming Needles?" Mel asked.

Needles snapped out of his spiteful trance and looked t his friend.

"Yea I'm coming" said Needles joining the crowd.

When they arrived to the mess hall the conscripts had already formed a line with a single tiger serving them.

"What do you think their serving?" Mel asked.

"For us, probably whatever scraps they had after last night" said Needles.

"Get used to it whine ass. It's the fucking army, if you can't handle this then you'll never be able to handle the fighting" said Tame

"You just can't keep your fucking mouth shut can you" Needles growled at tame.

"All that bitch'n of yours is starting to piss me off" said Tame.

"You being alive is starting to piss me off" Needles growled, extending his claws angrily.

"Would you two knock it off. Look you guys don't even have to talk to each other, lets all just eat and get some rest huh?" Mel asked.

Tame looked back at Mel and began laughing hysterically.

"You mother fu-" Needles said before being cut off.

"Quit holding up the damn line" said somebody from behind.

Needles looked back to see a long line behind them and a huge gap in front of them as did Tame and they hurried forward to fill it. The two fell silent and didn't utter another word to each other. Dinner tonight was apparently beans with some form of meat in it. Needles and Mel sat down at a table and quietly ate. Both of them had a lot on their minds, too much to really want to talk. Needles really couldn't believe he was even here. Instead of dwelling on that however he was more curious about what would happen tomorrow. Apparently they would be running drills, a chance to be active was something Needles found exciting. He finished his meal and cleaned up then made his way to the first tent he seen. The inside was quite open but had numerous cots scattered around, each with a single dirty blanket draped over it. A couple of electric powered lanterns hung in here as well. The floor was non existent and was still in the form of the soggy ground he had been treading on the entire time. Some of the cots were even sinking into it. Needles took one that was not sinking and Mel took one right next to it. Soon a couple of others joined in.

"You think it will get any better?" one of the other tigers asked to a friend

"I wouldn't count on it, and if drills are as bad as I heard then tomorrow's going to be even worse" said the friend.

Another tiger, this one green with brighter green stripes, entered the room and took a cot near Mel and Needles. She was carrying a small bag full of something with her. She placed it on her cot but apparently it had been opened already and poured out onto the ground. This attracted the attention of everyone in the tent. She gasped and began frantically picking things up. Mel slid out of his bed and began helping her pick things up and Needles followed soon after. The bag had been full of notebooks, letter paper, envelopes, makeup, and various other things.

"Here you go" said Mel handing her what he had collected.

"Oh umm… thanks" she replied.

"What's this, your parents?" Needles asked picking up a framed photograph.

"Ah! Give me that!" the girl shrieked, swiping it from him.

"Ah, ok take it" Needles said surprised.

The girl blushed.

"Sorry" she said, running to a cot in the back off the tent.

"What the hell?" Needles asked staring at her.

Mel stared at her curiously as well, but returned to his cot as did Needles. Gradually the two drifted off into sleep.

[And that's it readers. Yea, I've been absent for a while, but I do have a bunch of chapters for my other stories started up so you could expect any of them soon. I have places for all of the OC's and all will appear in due time. Anyway, to any of you who are fans of Team Fortress 2 I've been working on a drawing of it for a few days now and it's nearly complete. It will be on my DA profile a little later if you are interested, it should be comical to say the least. Anyway, R&R and I shall see you all later!]


	3. The Shooting Range

[Hey there readers… sorry, it's been a while. I've been occupied with a lot of other things. Anyway I figure I may need to prioritize some of these stories and this one will be one of them, not sure about what others I'm gonna prioritize yet… I do have plans for all of them though. Anyway, enjoy chapter 3!]

Needles awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of his friend thrashing around in his bed. He turned his head, awake and alert to focus on him. Mel still appeared to be asleep and was whimpering. Needles reached out his hand and grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him.

"Mel wake up" Needles demanded.

This was all it took to get the job done as Mel gasped himself awake and lashed out into the air with a clawed hand grazing Needles's paw.

"Hey, watch it" Needles growled shaking his paw.

"Wha- oh… sorry Needles" Mel whispered.

"What the hell was that about?" Needles asked.

"Umm… just a bad dream… sorry" said Mel.

"Keep it down" whispered a nearby tiger.

Needles glanced over to him but looked back to Mel who stared at him. Needles got the message Mel was trying to send but thanks to him being tired he brushed off the sparking argument and returned to sleep.

"Rise and shine kitty cats, get up and meet me by the flag pole" shouted a voice.

That and the sound of a banging pot rousted everyone from their sleep. Needles woke up alert as ever as he filled with energy. A sudden shock of it however drained him a little and he slowly rose out of bed. Mel however was forcing himself to stay awake as his heavy eyelids resented his attempts. Needles sat up and watched the others drag themselves out of bed, he was glad he had taken a nap on the way here or he might have ended up looking like them. There were only a few people in the tent, then again there were plenty more to chose from. Some of the others moaned and complained to each other about the sudden wakeup call as they dragged themselves out of the tent. The girl who had spilt her belongings all over the ground last night made her way past them. She seemed focused. Before he knew it everyone had left the tent and Mel was still struggling to stay awake.

"What the hell are you two still doing in here! Get your asses outside now! Things aren't gonna be good for you if you're not at the flagpole in thirty seconds" a tiger growled leaning into the tent.

"You go on ahead Needles, I'll be out in a minute" Mel slurred.

"Fuck them, just get yourself up" said Needles.

"No, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me" said Mel.

Needles thought about that for a moment. The soldiers could punish him all they wanted, Mel however was a different story. Needles hiked Mel over his shoulders and made his way out of the tent in a dash. Mel glanced around, this action doing a good job of waking him up. Needles was able to make it in less that thirty seconds but slipped on the mucky ground and fell face first with Mel landing on his head. Needles could hear the laughter of the other recruits and some of the soldiers. His teeth began to grit furiously. he pushed himself up knocking Mel who had been trying to stand up already off balance. Needles glared furiously at the ones laughing at him but before he could speak he was interrupted by none other than Glades.

"Good, you're all finally here… look at all of you. Draby wretched sad sacks. If we were to be attacked right now you'd all be dead yes, it's that fucking easy. Listen to me and do everything I tell you and if any of you have even a lick of ability you should stay alive long enough to piss yourselves when your getting shot at by an allied gunman. Our first order of business is to get you all fed. You get thirty minutes to swallow it down before you're training begins. Now then we don't have any time for anyone's bullshit. This area's no safer than anywhere else, even right now an allied assault force could sweep through here and purge every one of your green asses, that's why we begin training immediately. Some of you lucky bastards may even earn the privilege of serving in a real operation, even today. I believe I've wasted enough breath on you kittens for now. Get to the mess hall and when you're done there get your asses right back here, dismissed!" shouted Glades.

When the speech ended some of the conscripts began talking amongst themselves.

"They can't be serious, what kind of camp are they running if new soldiers like us could be attacked at any minute" said one of the conscripts.

Others seemed to speechless to talk. the group gradually made their way over to the mess hall. Needles was one of the first there… that is, right behind the crimson coyote.

"Why the fuck do I keep getting stuck behind you?" Needles growled.

"You must like the view, ha ha, can't say I'd blame you" said Tame.

"You little fucker, watch what you fucking say asshole, or I'll be carving you a new one" Needles growled.

"So it is about the asses with you huh? Or maybe it's that friend of yours. He seems like that kind of guy" said Tame.

"Shut your fucking mouth and die!" Needles shouted rushing at the coyote before Mel could stop him.

Needles swiped at him but Tame leaned back narrowly avoiding the tiger's claws he followed up with a counter punch but Needles leaned back and dropped low to the ground to avoid it. As he rose back up Tame came at him with another fist just as Needles attacked with his claws. When Tame's fist struck Needles's open paw Needles instinctively grabbed it and sunk his claws in. Tame flinched a bit but swung with his remaining hand hitting the tiger in the stomach. Needles shook it off and swiped at him but missed when Tame leaned back again. Needles retracted his claws from Tame's fist and the two hopped back from each other just before being hammered to the ground by a pair of soldiers.

"This has nothing to do with you assholes" Tame growled.

"Don't you fuckers have a crotch to lick" said Needles.

"Insolent little pricks, guess who's going without breakfast today" said one of the soldiers.

The two picked up Needles and Tame and carried them out of the mess hall and to the flag pole where Glades was strumming on an acoustic guitar and smoking a cigarette.

"Glades, we have two insubordinate little bastards for you" said one of the soldiers.

Glades's gaze fell to the two that the soldiers were dragging with them. He rested his guitar against the flagpole and rose from the crate he was sitting on, spiting out his cigarette.

"I see, leave them with me then" ordered Glades.

"Yes sir!" said the soldiers before taking their leave.

Glades approached Needles and Tame and looked them over, his cold eyes piercing into theirs. neither could help but feel uncomfortable with this guy.

"So, you two _are_ causing trouble aren't you. I knew you two would be a problem the moment i laid eyes on you. Take my advice, if you want to survive here for more than a few days I suggest you two watch yourselves. Some of these soldiers are a little less forgiving than me. Now then, since you're here early I want the two of you to do pushups until the rest of you runts get back here" said Glades.

"And you're gonna be the one to tell us what to do" said Tame.

"Yes, I am. And I don't take kindly to backtalk. If you know what's good for you you'll shut up and do whatever the hell I tell you to do" said glades leaning close to them, the smell of his cigarette breath prominent

The two stared into Glades's eyes then to each other's.

"Ha ha, if they won't let me kill you, then I'll just have to show you up instead pup" said Needles.

"That all you got to say to me little asshole, I seen how you fight, you won't last a fucking minute against me" said tame.

Needles shot to the ground and immediately began doing pushups. A moment later he was followed by Tame. They glared at each other and tried harder and harder to do their pushups faster and faster. When Tame switched to his fists Needles did the same and soon upgraded to a single hand. Tame growled and followed up making Needles growl as well. Glades looked down at them and laughed to himself as he strummed away on his guitar. The two continued on with this for who knows how long. By the time they had worn themselves out only a few others had arrived.

"What's the matter fresh meat. pushups too much for ya? I suggest you two get back to it or you'll be doing them through lunch too" said Glades.

The two laid on the ground panting. Their gaze moved from each other to Glades, neither knew who to hate more, each other or this commander. Fortunately they didn't have to do anymore pushups right now as most of the conscripts gathered around.

"You two are pathetic" said Glades as he stood up to address the conscripts.

"I trust you all had a good breakfast, as you can see we already have ourselves a couple of insubordinate little whelps like yourselves. I will not respond well to any indiscretions by any of you. You are all to do as you are ordered to do or else you will be treated the same as these two here. Now then, all of you into a line, you will be running exercise drills for now" Glades ordered.

Needles rose up as did Tame. The two locked each other's gaze with a sneer and made their way into line.

"Sorry about that Needles… here, I brought you my biscuit" said Mel as Needles settled beside him.

"What the hell are you sorry about?" Needles asked taking the biscuit.

"I don't know… I should have done something, since I didn't you didn't get to eat" said Mel.

"Ha ha, don't go blaming yourself for that one, besides, it was worth it" said Needles as he shoved the biscuit into his mouth so Glades wouldn't catch him.

"Ok you and someone beside you pair up and do sit ups until I tell you otherwise, begin!" Glades ordered.

Naturally Needles paired up with Mel. Needles went first with Mel holding his feet and began doing his exercise quickly, much faster than most of the others, some of them acted like they'd never had a moment of exercise in their lives.

"Needles, you should probably slow down, you'll tire yourself out quick" said Mel.

"Don't worry about that, you just keep holding my feet" said Needles.

His pace didn't wane much as continued his exercises. When he began to grow sore his look grew more determined and serious until it was finally time to switch. When it was Mel's turn to perform his exercises he was far less energetic. They were slow and even with coordinated breaths in between them. Even like that however his fatigue set in much earlier than Needles's and his performance drastically slowed.

"Maybe you aught to cut down on the snack cakes fatso" said Needles with a laugh.

"Shut up Needles, sorry if I'm not as spastic as you, besides I'm not fat" Mel whined.

Needles only laughed and looked around for his nemesis who was also holding his own partner's feet.

"Why- do you- keep- looking- for trouble Needles?" said a panting Mel.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't look for trouble, it looks for me" said Needles.

"Are- you- seriously trying- to tell- me- that none- of- these- issues you're- having are- your- fault?" Mel asked.

"What, you seen how it all went down. You know I didn't do shit" said Needles.

"Whatever. I can't- talk- right now- oh god- this is brutal" said Mel.

When that ended they switched to pushups and a few other exercises until the sound of a large group's footsteps entered the camp.

"Alright recruits, we can stop with the exercises for the moment. Zaz and his group have arrived so it's time to get you panty wastes training" shouted Glades.

Needles watched the group merge with theirs as his uncle took position beside Glades. A few others took position behind them.

"Alright recruits as Glades and I have informed you we are going to be running training exercises. Ordinarily we wouldn't be jumping into combat drills so quickly but, as times are desperate, we must get you guys battle ready as quickly as possible. You all know that the enemy is on our doorstep. Currently everything is going as planned, our troops have begun invading neighboring lands and conquering them at impressive rates. We are currently standing at the forefront of our nation. It was no more than a month ago that we were invaded by sea. They were able to establish a foothold in our country from there. For now, our job is to halt their progress before they become any more of a threat. Now then, if you all will come with me we may get started" announced Zaz.

A number of various conscripts gave each other cautious looks. Needles was one of those however who couldn't wait to feel a gun in their hands. He envisioned himself aiming down the sights and shattering targets is rapid succession. Having fired hunting weapons before assured his confidence that he would be a master at this. Mel however seemed a bit shaky. Needles had watched him shoot a shotgun before which ended with him whining over a bruised shoulder. That aside, Needles had quite the case of tunnel vision right now and he amused himself during the walk by imagining himself shooting flawlessly and imagining Tame fumbling his gun around trying to figure out how to shoot it. He even allowed Mel a little glory in his fantasy.

This continued until they arrived at a small clearing. It was quite makeshift in appearance with old sacks and crates on one end and some cheaply made dummies on the other end. I had seemed like the people who made the dummies enjoyed themselves while doing so. They had some parts on them to resemble different animals as well as some dopey faces just below the scavenged helmets.

"Everyone behind a post! There's not enough for everyone so you'll have to make lines of three! If I see anyone goofing off you will be used as live target practice. You start shooting at each other I will personally execute everyone involved! Begin!" Glades shouted.

Nobody could tell weather he was serious or not but they did as he asked. Needles hurried to the set up nearest to him followed closely by Mel who didn't want to end up with anyone else. Needles kneeled down and stared at his target… another reason he came to this one. The target resembled a K9 of some sort. It was close enough to a coyote for his taste. As it was Tame had set himself up to Needles's left, he couldn't tell weather this was on purpose or a coincidence but pissed him off all the same. Needles was about to say something to him before someone else made their way into their group and distracted him. Both Needles and Mel recognized them. It was the girl who they helped in their tent. Until they looked at her however she didn't seem to recognize them.

"Oh! It's you guys! Umm… maybe I should join another group" she said.

"What? Do we smell bad or something?" Needles asked disapproving of her statement.

"Oh umm… no sorry, I didn't mean it like that" she said, turning her head away and blushing.

Mel and Needles stared at her for a moment confused before a soldier approached them and handed them a rifle and a box of clips.

"Alright scum, listen closely. These are HR582 standard infantry rifles. Your clip is loaded here at the bottom, I shouldn't have to describe to you that the open end of the clip is the end that is inserted. If it's too difficult to tell which side it should be facing look at the fucking bullets in the clip. aim the pointed end forward. Now then, do as I do. Kneel behind your stations like so. And fire at your targets across the way" Glades explained.

He showed everyone what to do as he explained these things. When he fired it was quick and hit the target directly between it's crudely painted eyes.

"Show us what you've got!" Glades ordered.

Needles kneeled down behind his station and removed a clip from the box. As he did this his eyes locked onto Tames's. this was almost a habit already, either way it always seemed to happen. Needles loaded his weapon relatively easily, it wasn't his first time though. Tame took slightly longer but didn't seem to have any problems. Some others however didn't seem to have the first clue as to how to do it. Needles quickly aimed down the field and fired. He couldn't see if the target had reacted so he couldn't tell weather or not he hit it. Tame fired and visibly clipped his target meaning Needles must've completely missed. A little more frustrated he worked the bolt chamber and fired again. To no visible results.

"Son of a bitch!" Needles growled.

"Having a little trouble there?" Tame asked.

"Fuck you!" Needles shouted, Setting up his next shot.

Needles fired again and missed. He pulled the trigger again immediately after that but nothing fired.

"Fucking piece of shit!" Needles growled as he realized that he had not set up the shot before that.

"Umm… do you want help?" the girl asked.

"No!" Needles shouted as he fired again, this time he hit the arm.

"Fuck yea!" Needles shouted.

Needles looked over to Tame who seemed to be doing a bit better than Needles. Several of his shots hit and some of them in pretty damaging locations. Needles's pride faded instantly and he readied another shot. Again, it was null when it fired.

"Switch!" Glades shouted.

"What!" Needles shouted.

"Don't whine, you're just wasting all the ammo anyway" said Tame.

"Gun's a piece of shit!" Needles growled.

"Ha ha, yep, it's the _gun _that's a piece of shit" said Tame.

Needles's head was steaming right now, not at Tame but at the gun he was using. He made his way behind the girl who joined their group and Mel took over.

Mel released the clip and grabbed a fresh one. He examined the gun and managed to insert the clip with relative ease, though it was a bit slow. He lined up his sights and fired, missing the target. He loaded another shot and adjusted his targeting… after he shook off the shock from the kick back. He fired again clipping the target in the waist. He loaded another shot and fired missing again.

"You umm… want some help?" the girl asked.

Mel looked back at her and their eyes locked. He suddenly felt week.

"Umm… sure?" said Mel.

"Ok… here" she said.

She leaned over him and adjusted the rifle's aim.

"Ok, now try" said the girl.

Mel looked down the sights and fired hitting the target in the neck. He loaded another shot and fired striking it in the chest, a little below the first shot.

"Wow, thanks" said Mel.

Needles scowled at Mel's success and grew ever more eager to shoot again. Mel worked the bolt and fired his final shot hitting the target in the chest, a bit below his previous shot.

"Good job" said the girl.

"…yea… thanks umm…" said Mel.

"Oh, I'm Malerie" said the girl.

"Switch!" Glades shouted.

Mel handed the weapon to Malerie who kneeled down and reloaded the gun. She did it as if she had practiced before but was still a bit clunky. She readied the weapon and aimed down the sights. The row of shooters fired but Malerie was still lining up her shot. When she did fire, it was directly into the chest where the heart would be located. Needles looked surprised, as did Tame who seemed to be paying more attention to Needles's group than his own.

Malerie readied the next shot and was again the last to fire but it was a perfect head shot. This greatly annoyed Needles who grew evermore frustrated with seeing people shooting better than him. This same pattern seemed to continue with Malerie being slow to shoot but deadly accurate with headshots. Fortunately with the next switch it was again Needles's turn.

"Wow! You did great Malerie!" said Mel surprised.

"Thanks… I'm just doing what my dad taught me" said Malerie.

"Your dad? I he a soldier?" Mel asked.

"Umm… not really…" said Malerie, looking away.

Needles took up his rifle, almost forgetting to reload. When he did, he quickly fired his first shot which missed the target.

"Fuck You!" Needles shouted readying the next shot.

He fired again to no avail. His eyes wandered to Tame who was still doing slightly better than him. Needles growled to which Tame grinned. He again readied another shot and fired, hitting the post the scarecrow was attached to. He fired another shot, then another, each one being fired faster and faster. When both shots missed he felt as if his head was on fire but his anger was not directed at himself, the gun, or even Tame. It was focused on the crudely made target across the field. His vision began to blur with a frustration fueled fury as his tunnel vision set in. when he heard Glades shout "Switch!" he had finally reached his boiling point.

"Fuck this bullshit!" Needles shouted.

He tossed the empty gun in front of him and the barrel stuck into the swampy soil. Immediately he stormed across the field towards his target. All he wanted to do was rip it apart in a way that the rifle never could. His speed picked up rapidly and before he knew it he had sank his claws into the dummy's belly, tearing it open to reveal that it was full of dirt as it poured out. His claws savagely dug into the potato sack flesh into it's mucky innards as he continued reducing it to ribbons. Time had been lost to him for the moment and before he knew it the dummy was in tatters and had been completely drained of it's dirt.

"Fuck you!" Needles shouted as he turned back to the groups.

Every eye in the crowd was on him. Most obviously Glades and Zaz. Needles sneered at them on his way back, expecting to get chewed out for what he did.

"What the hell was that all about? The dummy call yo a mean name?" Glades asked with an annoyed sneer across his face.

Needles really didn't have much of a response. he just stared at glades who stared back at him.

"Next time you do something like that I'm calling live fire practice" said Glades.

Needles looked to Zaz who seemed lost in thought as he followed Glades away.

The rest of the target shooting went on much like it had been but Needles maintained himself a little more. Near the end of the shooting practice Zaz, Glades, and another blue tiger were tending to some injuries sustained during practice. As they did this they discussed to one another what each recruit should be outfitted with until they reached Needles's group.

"So about that dipshit of a nephew of yours. He's fast as hell and he's definitely got balls. But that moron couldn't shoot an ally in the ass if it was standing right in front of him. And that speed of his won't do him much good with a storm of lead raining down on him" said Glades.

"Yes… Needles is quite reckless… bu he is under your command so it's up to you to train him… now then, he doesn't seem to like the bolt action rifles very much… I would suggest a sub machine gun but I'm sure he'd pour that out rather quickly… hmm… well… give him an SMG, you'll just have to teach him how to let go of the trigger every now and again" said Zaz.

"An SMG eh… alright, I'll try it. He'd better learn this shit quick for his sake. Now then, about his friend" said Glades.

"Ah yes, Mel… well… the kid has always been a bit timid. He doesn't seem to bad with a rifle. With proper training I'm sure he could handle it… oh yea, he's also read books on medicine, his father told me about it. Get him set up like Frost here and I think we might get ourselves another medic" said Zaz.

"Oh no, don't you think about replacing me. Like you'd survive if it was anyone else but me here to patch you up" said the blue tiger.

"Ha ha, I don't know what I'd do without you Frost… now then, what did you think of Malerie?" Zaz asked to Glades.

"Don't know… not sure how much I can trust her, If she decided to switch sides at any point that could prove problematic" said Glades.

"But she's a hell of a sharpshooter, get's that from her old man, no doubt about it" said Zaz.

"That's exactly the problem… I hope that's all she got from him" said Glades.

"Well you've gotta give her something. That shooting was incredible, she's a perfect sniper" said Frost.

"My thoughts exactly" Zaz replied.

"Hmm… then we'll set her up with that… I don't like it but we can't be too choosy I guess" said Glades.

"Excellent, now about the next group, what about Tame?" Zaz asked.

"Tame… he reminds me too much of your nephew, no wonder they fight all the time… still, he seems a little more composed at least, I think we should give him a rifle and a shotgun, I'd rather just give him one weapon thanks to our current stockpiles… but I'm just gonna follow my gut here" said Glades.

The conversation continued among them and gradually the practice came to an end and the group returned to the main camp. Needles was silent through most of the return walk which was much later than they had expected. Only now though did he realize how hungry he was. Fortunately they were sent to dinner just as they had gotten back.

"Weren't we supposed to be back by lunch? Mel asked.

"Guess not… not like I really care too much about what meal this is, I'm freaking starving… maybe that's why I was so off today" said Needles.

"Umm… I don't think that's it Needles" said Mel.

"Well what the hell do you know" said Needles staring at the food at the front of the line.

Needles didn't even wait to get back o his table to eat, as he shoveled it in on his way to his seat. There he paid attention to nothing else besides stuffing his face. Eventually grew satisfied enough to relax.

"That Malerie girl's a good shooter eh Needles?" said Mel.

"Probably been training for it forever, besides, I was going nuts waiting for her to shoot that damn thing" said Needles.

"She was aiming Needles, you know… lining up her shot, sounds like she could teach you something" said Mel.

"Wow, you're pretty freaking defensive today… ha ha I get it, it's the shooting, you love it dontchya? Making you more aggressive" said Needles with a grin.

"Shut up Needles" said Mel.

They finished eating and were summoned outside to the ammunition tent. There soldiers approached the recruits with canvas backpacks with various weapons strapped to the sides.

"This recruits, this is going to be your equipment. We have given you arms that we feel are best for you. Normally we'd train you to use specific weapon sets but I don't need to explain our situation to you again. Among the weapons and ammo are your survival kits and general guidelines that will tell you how to stay alive. After this I recommend you return to your tents and get acquainted with your kits. If I hear a single shot fired that isn't at an ally hostile you will be sent into battle with a spoon and a fork instead, you hear me!" Glades shouted.

Most of the troops nodded in response. Needles however couldn't wait for his equipment until finally it was given to him. He held it out in front of him with a wide smile across his face. Just before he opened it however Mel stopped him.

"Just open it in the tent Needles" said Mel.

Needles stared at him and decided that that was probably a better idea… it didn't stop him from _running_ to the tent however. Once inside he thoroughly gutted his bag. First was the weapons. He was supplied with a grease gun as well as a 9mm pistol and a bowie knife. Inside the bag were a number of 30 round clips for the grease gun as well as 10 round ones for his pistol. The survival equipment included basic equipment such as a compass and lighter among other things.

When Mel revealed his weapons he also had a similar pistol as Needles. He also had a rifle, more specifically a Mosin-Nagant.

"Ha ha! Finally! We're ready to kick some ass now!" Needles shouted.

Mel was silent as he examined his rifle, his expression did not read the same as Needles's, more or less the opposite. Needles looked away and rested his weapons alongside his bed.

"Well, I'm gonna get to sleep" said Needles as he laid down and quickly fell into slumber.

Mel stayed awake a little longer however, staring at his rifle.

"You look worried" said Malerie, approaching him.

"Huh? Oh, hey Malerie… umm… yea, I guess I kind of am" said Mel.

"What's the matter?" Malerie asked.

Mel was silent for a moment as he ran his paw along the cold metal of the barrel.

"So… this is for real now… I haven't really thought about it like this until now though… we have our guns now… it's only a matter of time before they send us out to fight" said Mel.

"I see… you didn't want this huh?" said Malerie.

Mel was silent for a moment.

"How did you end up here Malerie… did you want this?" Mel asked.

Malerie's expression changed slightly.

"Umm… well… it's really a long story… I haven't really thought about how I would explain it yet… but… hmm… well… it's getting late, we should probably get to bed, who knows what tomorrow's gonna be like… I'll see you n the morning umm… Mel, was it?" Malerie asked.

"Yep… alright… I'll see you in the morning then" said Mel.

After that Malerie returned to her bed as Mel laid down and stared forward, his mind locked on Malerie. She seemed t understand him in a way Needles wouldn't… but he was curious now, about her story. After some thought he realized that he would not find out tonight, so it was probably best he got to sleep and after a little while, he did.

[And there it ends, I have tons ready for this one and should have the next chapter done soon. Also I'm doing a comic on deviant art, I have a journal containing all of the details for it if you are interested in contributing something. Also I have a huge story in the planning that won't be ready for a while. Anyway R&R… man, it's been a while]


	4. First Combat

[Here's chapter four. Yea, I've been on and off lately. I seem to be getting more active now , at least a little bit. Anyway, there was a good point raised in the responses of last chapter about what time period this took place in. I imagine some time between world war two and Vietnam so you may see some weapons of both. More from ww2, less from Vietnam. Anyway, this is likely going to be fairly long so don't worry if your OC hasn't surfaced yet. It's just not their time at the moment. Now then, here you go]

Needles awoke with the rest to the sound of a banging pot, just as the others in his tent had. It was slightly irritating but filled the tiger with enough contempt to wake him up quickly.

With a sneer he spun to the edge of his bed and placed his feet on the mushy ground in his tent. He rubbed the flakes out of his eyes and took note of just how grimy he had gotten, nothing he hadn't been before however. His eyes scoured the tent, looking to see who was present. It still housed only a few tigers however.

Needles's eyes fell to Mel who was trying to wake himself up as he repeatedly nodded off. Needles watched him for a moment before speaking.

"Morning Mel!" Needles shouted in his ear which made him jump up and roll out of bed.

Mel hit the soft ground then pushed himself back up using his cot.

"What's the matter with you Needles!" Mel shouted back.

"Making sure you're awake, and making sure I've got someone to chat with on may way back out to this shit hole" said Needles.

As Needles finished his statement Malerie made her way past the two.

"Morning guys" said Malerie.

"Morning Malerie" replied Mel.

"Morning" said Needles.

The three cats stood up and left the tent in a group. The morning air was as thick and dank as ever but the three seemed used to it already. Their first destination was the flag pole though Needles seemed to have forgotten since he seemed intent on making his way to the mess hall. Fortunately the two by his side managed to remind him and he reluctantly followed. The three joined the line of tigers and various other animals who had aligned at the flag pole. As expected their commander Glades was already waiting for them.

"Alright I'm going to make this quick. We have a lot of business today, but first things first, get yourselves fed then go about your business. You may be addressed individually shortly, if you are addressed meet here at the flag pole if not then wait for further instructions now get going" ordered Glades.

Needles immediately set off for the mess hall followed shortly by Malerie and Mel. As they approached however, they noticed a number of unfamiliar troops making their way in and out, that is, unfamiliar to Needles, Mel and Malerie seemed to think otherwise.

"Hey, weren't those guys at the shooting range yesterday" Mel asked.

"Hmm?…yea, I thought so too. I thought they were stationed at a different camp though… wonder why they're here" said Malerie.

The three continued into the large room, inside were several tables already filled with troops and a couple noticeable recruits. The line however was fairly small meaning most had probably gotten their food already. It was not until the three noticed the tiger standing at the back of the line that they knew who this group was. When Needles noticed him he made his way towards him and made sure he had his place in line behind him.

"Hey, Zaz, what the hell are you doing here?" Needles asked in good spirits.

"Oh, morning Needles. Isn't it obvious, we've been invited here for breakfast" said Zaz.

"Ha, that's definitely bull. Don't you guys have your own mess hall?" Needles asked.

"We do, but we are needed here at the moment" said Zaz.

"Yea… and… what, going to fight somewhere?" Needles asked.

"Yes we are. I take it glades didn't inform you then?" inquired Zaz.

"Guess not… the prick… what, are we going to fight somewhere?" Needles asked slightly excited.

"We are yes, Glades has been sending out patrols for a few weeks, keeping an eye on an enemy encampment about… three miles north east of here. We believe they are planning on using it to stage an assault further inland" Zaz explained.

"So… then is it just you guys or are we going too?" Needles asked.

"Glades has assembled a team to send out, most have been informed but there is a chance that he may make some last minute adjustments… personally, I hope you don't get selected" said Zaz.

Needles stared a Zaz for a moment, not expecting to hear that.

"What? Why's that? You don't think I can handle myself?" Needles asked growing a bit agitated.

"Not that at all. I would rather just see you make it through this war alive, you are more than willing to fight, that much I know. But you should give it time before you start. You need to be sure you're ready for what is asked of you" said Zaz.

"What, shooting some asshole trying to kill me? Why wouldn't I be ready for that?" Needles asked.

Zaz went silent for a moment.

"You should just take my advice Needles, this is not a game you're playing" said Zaz.

"Yea, that's obvious, this place sucks" said Needles.

Zaz and the others finally reached the front of the line and retrieved their food, mainly potatoes and canned meats. After obtaining their food Needles and the others took their seats at an empty table near the counter where they had gotten their food.

"You know, I always thought military food was just scraps, yet here we are with meat… and potatoes that are actually pretty good" Mel pointed out.

"Oh yea… I think that's because they commission food from places that usually provide for markets, and some independent farming groups. Too bad it takes available products from civilians though" said Malerie.

"You are very knowledgeable young lady. I guess I should expect as much" said Zaz returning to his seat with coffee.

"Yea, you're really smart. Where did you learn all this?" Mel asked.

"Oh… umm… I'm not really that smart… I've just, learned some of these things" said Malerie.

"I see…" Mel replied.

"So, you guys know anything about this battle or whatever before now?" Needles inquired.

"No, nothing" Malerie replied.

"Me neither" said Mel following up.

"Huh, hope that Tame bastard get's picked and get's his head shot off" said Needles.

"He still on your mind Needles?" Mel asked.

"Annoying bastard, no, just thought about him getting picked then getting killed" said Needles.

"I can't see why you hate him so much, you two are a lot alike… well… maybe I can see that then" said Mel.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Needles growled.

"Nothing… let's just eat and continue on with our day" said Mel.

Needles scowled but continued eating with the others. After a bit more chatter they finally finished their meals, cleaned up, and made their way outside where a small group of recruits were gathered and being lectured by the camp manager's assistant Mazzie.

"Ah, Mel, Malerie, perfect timing, I was about to send for you. Glades has set up his platoons and you to will be joining them on an assault. Glades will fill you in on the details, he should be ready at any moment so you'd best join your peers" Mazzie explained.

"What? He didn't take me!" Needles growled.

"No, you are participating in drills today, that I am in charge of. You and whoever else he didn't want to bring" said Mazzie.

"You're fucking kidding me! Why are you bringing Mel and Malerie then!" Needles asked.

"I don't know, it wasn't my decision, this is simply what Glades has decided, given that he is in charge of this little group I'd say he knows how he wants things" said Mazzie, turning from Needles and making her way over to the group.

"Wha-what? They want m-me to go? Why me?" Mel asked.

"I don't fucking know, the dipshit who says he's in charge decided it, I doubt he even fucking knows why" Needles growled.

"Shouldn't you be glad you don't have to go? You're safe here" said Malerie.

"Fuck that, I'd rather be dead then spend a day doing fucking push ups and running in fucking circles all day" Needles growled.

"Umm… well, you're bund to have to fight eventually… and you'll be ready when you've got to" reasoned Malerie.

"Shit… fucking bullshit. Why the hell are they bringing you two anyway, you seem to know all this military crap, you probably know" said Needles.

"Well… I'm not sure. We are just recruits so maybe they want to get us some field experience" said Malerie.

"What, you mean like fighting? You seen me shooting, I couldn't do it without your help. Why would they send me to a fight?" Mel asked worried.

"Well… I don't think we'll be fighting too much anyway, the soldiers will be doing that. We're just going to be there if they need support, and to watch-" Malerie explained before being interrupted.

"Hey, didn't Mazzie tell you, you were to be ready, you're lucky I don't have time to scold you, now get your asses over here!" Glades shouted.

"Oh… sorry Needles, we'll be back soon" said Malerie.

Mel looked back at Needles, his expression seemed odd.

"See ya Needles" said Mel before he followed Malerie.

Needles watched the two make their way over to the small group, his frustration and annoyance finally leading to a sort of depression. His friend was heading off into battle, he was staying behind to perform drills, something that appealed to him in no way. This would be the first time Mel had done anything dangerous without him around and a sense of loss seemed to creep over him as well. He made his way nearer to the group and laid down on the moist ground, listening to the briefing.

"Alright, as some of you know or have just been informed we are about to lead your first assault. It's simple, the enemy has been staging an operation to move further inland, however we have several advantages over them for a counter attack. First of all they are unaware of our presents in these swamps, Zaz's men have made explorations very difficult for them and the terrain had made it even more so. No doubt they may expect something but are un prepared for it. Now, we have been watching them for a while now, they've been building up slowly thanks to the fact that they are concentrating so much defense on their beachfronts. As a result attacking them now would be key to holding them back. Although the force is not ready it must not be allowed to expand. When my scouts return you, my troops, and the troops of Zaz will be intercepting them and eventually destroying them at that location. Now then, one final piece of information, I will pe partnering you up with some of our troops to teach you the ropes, when fighting I want you to stay behind them and only fire when necessary or you find an opportunity. Mazzie will give you the names of your partners" Glades explained.

At this point Needles became uninterested in the briefing, just a bunch of names of people he didn't really care about until it came to Mel and Malerie.

"Ok then, next, Mel and Malerie. You are going to be paired up with a sniper by the name of Grant. You should recognize him quickly as he's a crocodile. He's also with a tiger by the name of Lenny who serves as his spotter" Mazzie explained.

Sniper… a long ranged and ultimately indirect and out of the way soldier. If that were the case then maybe Mel would come out fine after all. When the names began to mix into one another again Needles shut his eyes and fell asleep until he heard a voice that made his blood boil.

"Hey Needles, what the fuck's up. Looks like you're stuck here with the rest of the losers" said the voice.

Needles knew immediately that it was Tame and he shot up to confront him.

"What, you off to play soldier?" Needles asked.

"Ha, couldn't be so fucking lucky, looks like you got the shit end of the stick too" said Tame.

"No shit, looks like I'm stuck here doing fucking drills with you... Ha, fuck that, I'm gonna find something else to fucking do" said Needles.

"Ha ha, have fun, I'm gonna go fight a fucking battle" said Tame.

"What! I thought you were stuck here!" Needles asked surprised.

"Yea, I would if I gave half a shit about orders, you can stay and be their ass slave if you want, I'm gonna follow these pricks when they set out" said Tame.

Needles suddenly felt like an idiot, why didn't he think of doing that? He fell dumbstruck for a moment until he became curious about something.

"So then… why the hell did you come and tell me about this?" Needles asked.

"Ha, because no one else around here is any fun, not to mention… I think I'd like to see you get shot through the head" said Tame.

Needles almost felt like laughing since he had thought the same thing about Tame, but stopped himself.

"I see, you aint got the balls to head in there alone" said Needles with a grin.

"Ha, you wish" said Tame.

"Ha, don't worry, I'll protect you little puppy" said Needles heading towards his tent.

Instead of Responding, Tame made his way towards his own, bot were intent on gathering their equipment and waiting for the group to move out. Needles slung his bag over his back and his weapons in hand. He then snuck out through the back of his tent and made his way into a line of trees as he aimed to move behind them and get into a position to follow the group. As it was, Tame had the same idea and crashed into Needles as he looked for a spot to wait.

"Ah, damnit, watch where you're going asshole" Needles hissed.

"Shut up and keep moving, if we are going to follow them, we need to find somewhere to wait" said Tame.

"Yea, no shit" said Needles.

At that the two moved through the trees and marshy plants as they made their way around the camp and waited behind a boulder.

"So, when the hell are they going?" Needles asked.

"I don't fucking know, there's supposed to be a messenger or something coming whe-" Tame was saying until a small group appeared beside the recruits from out of the forest"

Needles could only make out a few of the words given the amount of distance between them all and the two waited anxiously for something to happen. Fortunately the wait was fairly quick as the group quickly began to move out.

"Ok ok, go go go" said Tame.

"Shut it" Needles replied, despite moving out anyway.

The duo's goal would be to remain out of the notice of the group while at the same time keeping an eye on them. Needles's dead leaves colorations could hide him well enough while Tame might need to remain a little more hidden. The two kept a good distance from the group, trying to keep an eye on them through the foliage. Fortunately there were plenty of them in sight. Needled looked behind himself, back at the cam but seen nothing, meaning they had obtained quite a distance. Looking forward again he seen that Tame had moved on ahead so he quickly followed up just before the group began searching their surroundings.

"Oh shit" Tame whispered and he ducked behind a tree.

"Ha ha, you stick out pretty well" whispered Needles going prone.

"Shut up cat" whispered Tame.

The two continued on, keeping focus on the group. The feeling of stealth was exciting to the both of them as they continued to tail their targets without being noticed by them. This fun could have gone on for a while, that is… until Tames hand sunk into the ground while he kneeled.

In an instant he and Needles were swarmed by a hive of angry bees who's home Tame had just disturbed. Still keeping noise to a minimum the two ran through the forest away from the stinging insect, yet neither screamed as to avoid being noticed. The stinging continued until it ended as suddenly as it began, Needles looked over himself. his fur seemed to protect him a bit but several stings still managed to get through leaving numerous welts all over him. Tame's situation was very much the same.

"Smooth move dipshit" growled Needles.

"I didn't know there's be a fucking bees nest in my way, since when do bees burrow anyway?" Tame said annoyed.

Needles looked around the area, not seeing the group in any direction.

"Shit, screw the bees, where are the people we were following?" Needles asked.

Tame looked around seeing nothing in any direction aside from trees. It quickly became painfully obvious that they were lost.

Mel and Malerie however were still well and with their group. They had their weapons drawn as they watched their surroundings, an order that had come when they grouped up.

"Wonder how your friend is doing, he seemed really angry that he didn't get to come" said Malerie.

"Ah, that's just Needles, he just wants to be where the action is, if he's not he feels left out" said Mel.

"I see… I hope he's not too bored, I kinda felt bad for him" said Malerie.

"Nah, I'm sure Needles is keeping himself entertained somehow… do you know where this place is by any chance? I know they tend to use occupied towns as bases" said Mel.

"No, I'm not really sure… I think it might just be a regular camp… maybe a few occupied homes but I'm not sure" Malerie explained.

The group suddenly slowed down as someone came towards them from the right. Malerie recognized him from his description however. It was that crocodile sniper she and Mel were assigned to. He had dark green scales and a purple belly and was slightly taller than the others. He also wore a vest with several pockets in it.

"I'll take Mel and Malerie from here. You might want to hurry up though, the troops are getting antsy" said Grant.

"Alright, they're all yours then" said Glades as he ushered the two to follow him.

Mel and Malerie left the group as they moved onward and stood beside Grant.

"Alright you two, come with me" said the crocodile.

The two followed him without question as the looked over the edge of the cliff they were atop of. A little past this point the forest ended and opened into farm land. It was clear to see the target resting very near to them. A large encampment occupied with several vehicles and troops milling around the place. The three stayed low as they made their way towards the top of the cliff where a blue tiger with white stripes sat. Grant took his position between two rocks with a gap in the center. His rifle was colored the same as them.

"How's it going?" the crocodile asked as he stared through the scope.

"umm… alright… umm, why were we paired up?" Mel asked.

"To train you of course" said the crocodile through a smile.

"Apparently they want the two of you on a team. They want you to snipe Malerie and they want you Mel, to spot for her" said Lenny.

"Spot?" Mel asked.

"Yea, it means that you will be helping me find targets, gathering information, and keeping a lookout for me while I snipe" Malerie explained.

"Thata girl, you know the deal" said Grant.

"What? What do you mean? I'm supposed to find people to shoot? Why does it matter?" Mel asked.

"Simple, as a sniper you have the most view of the battlefield… well, one of the people who do. You need to use your judgment to locate high priority targets. Hat's something both of you can do however. Unfortunately there's only so much you can see while looking through a rifle scope. To make you as deadly as possible a sniper and a spotter are a deadly force. Finding out what to take out that might be hard to get to at first is what you need to do. This is why we are together today, so you can see how we do things" Lenny explained.

"Ok… just wondering though… how safe is this?" Me asked.

"Well, you're a team of two. In concept you are far from the battlefield, yet taking down targets, seems easy. In reality it's not so much. Yea, you're hidden at first. Then when your position is discovered you can be attacked by other snipers, artillery strikes, aircrafts, or just a squad who snuck past the enemy to get to you. Plus, you may not always have a good position to shoot from. What you wanna do as a sniper is to make every single shot count. Miss a high priority target and they're gonna run to where you can't get them. You want to do as much damage as possible with only a single well placed shot. If you are discovered or arouse suspicion to your location you wanna move to another one. To do this you'll wanna plan ahead, learn your environment before making your plans… of course, what does explaining anything get you, you can only truly learn by doing it. When we receive orders to open fire, we're on our own, and we'll be leading the assault with a single shot" Lenny explained.

"Oh, ok… I think I see now" said Mel.

"Hey, you guys, how long have you been here. It looks like you've made this place like home" said Malerie.

"Hmm, hmm, a while actually. We've been watching since a few days after the place was taken over. They haven't moved any further yet… but it looks like they're about to, and now that we have enough firepower to take them out well… we're gonna take them out" said Grant.

Mel didn't know what to think of the situation, the more he learned, the less comfortable he grew. The demeanor of this crocodile didn't seem to help much either, he was always smiling, and his voice was too calm. Malerie didn't seem bothered by this however, instead, she watched the enemy through the scope of her rifle. Suddenly Mel heard a crackle coming from Lenny's direction and his gaze shot towards him to see that it was a radio.

"This is Hangman, permission to open fire" said the voice on the radio

Despite the distortion it sounded like Zaz.

"Ha ha, copy Hangman Hell's Highway, ready for traffic" said Lenny.

A soft laugh emanated from Grant as he lined up his shot.

"To those marked for death your fate is unforgiving. Till our paths cross again, sayonara" said the crocodile before he fired his shot.

Through Malerie's scope she watched as the bullet sailed into a commander's head. Malerie followed up by firing a shot into a truck's gas tank, igniting a fire and detonating it. The battle had begun.

Zaz and his troops detonated even more explosives that had been planted beneath a fence facing the forest. The blast sent the meager blockade sprawling in pieces and his troops moved in.

"Captain, right of the jeep near the road" said Lenny.

In a few seconds the target was down.

"Come on, spot for me Mel" said Malerie.

"What? How?" Mel asked.

Lenny tossed him a pair of binoculars which Mel failed to catch. He immediately picked them up and stared at them before finally raising them to his eyes and looking through them. Immediately he noticed somebody in a farm house who seemed to have a sniper rifle of his own.

"Uh-umm… s-sniper in the farm house umm… the white one" said Mel

Malerie moved the scope around to the house, noticing the number of tiger troops making their way inside. He moved to the window and after a second or so, took her shot, killing the target immediately. Mel was shocked, he had just watched his friend kill someone… still, he knew what he had to do and looked through the binoculars again.

"They're looking for us, come on, follow me" said Grant as calmly as ever.

Malerie looked to Grant, then to Mel. The two then followed their partners through tree thin tree line to an edge of the cliff a bit thicker with foliage than the last. There sat another sniper rifle, barely visible with its camouflaged paint job obscuring it in a shrub. There Grant positioned himself and awaited information from his spotter.

By now, Glades and his troops had joined into the fray, his weapon, an MG 42 pouring bullets through the window of a house. Upon orders, the houses nearest to the forest had already been swarmed and taken by Zaz and Glades. The bewildered troops inside hadn't been able to react fast enough. Of course, they could only remain in disarray for so long. On the top floor in the left of three houses Zaz orders his men to dig in. as was hoped, this battle was already going in the tiger's favor. The enemy however was set up on the opposite end of the town fighting from the windows of the structures there. Despite a handful of towers present in the town, there were no snipers available for them, and hope for eliminating them was almost non existent, aside from a small platoon sent to locate them. A group of about six troops had been dispatched through the opposite end of the town in an effort to sneak past the attackers. An vain attempt however when Lenny quickly noticed them.

"Six soldiers, looks like they're attempting to find us… looks like they're taking cover behind some logs. Not much of it between here and there though, still, best to dispatch them now, the town seems to be under control" said Lenny.

"Hmm hmm hmm, Gotchya" said Grant as he focused his aim on one who was exposed and fired, killing the target and alarming the others.

"Mel, you gonna spot for me?" Malerie asked.

Mel looked at her surprised. She could fire at any moment, she knew what she was doing, even Grant picked his own target well, yet she waited for him to find her a target. This confused him but he spotted anyway and gave her a mark. Again after a little delay it had fallen dead.

"Zaz, the west end of this base belongs to us, and casualties are to a minimal, what are your orders?" Frost asked, approaching him.

"It will be difficult to move any troops across the way safely. I believe Glades will make a move first so we will wait for him and follow up. This battle will not be a long one" said Zaz.

Glades who had occupied a house to the right of the tree had already been planning his next attack.

"Alright, Boles, once the snipers get back to distracting the enemy, I want you to take your platoon and storm the places on the other end, I'll have our rocket men make you some openings. Afterwards, I believe Zaz will follow suit. If the snipers take too long, we're going for it anyway" said Zaz.

At this time, the snipers were in the clear. Mel located the final one and Malerie followed the shot, eliminating the final threat before they were located.

"Looks like a stalemate down there… ok then, I don't think I need to pick your targets any more, ha ha, they're screwed" said Lenny.

Mel stared beyond the base at a long expanse of road, almost expecting something to arrive from that direction.

"Hey, umm… aren't you worried that they might have reinforcements?" Mel asked.

"Not really. They want to hold their beach heads right now. Yea, their defenses there are tough or we would have already taken them, but they're not going to risk it. The second they lose the beaches is the second they lose the war" Lenny explained as he readied a sniper rifle of his own and opened fire.

The enemy's reaction was immediate. if they weren't demoralized before they were now as the sounds of three sniper rifles rang out from lord knows where striking them as they tried to fight back. It was at this point that Glades's plan became active. As his men charged towards the enemies structures, a number of troops fired rockets into their walls, creating openings for the troops to pass through. Moments after Glades charged, Zaz did as well, in an effort to overwhelm the remaining enemies, a plan that worked well. The troops took cover within the house, swarming rooms with bullets and grenades until eventually they had been taken. The battle was quick and short, executed perfectly with long planning and skilful tactics. Possibly even more successful than expected.

The snipers had noticed this as well and put down their weapons with a sense of pride.

"So… is it over?" Needles asked.

"Looks like it kid, what did you think, this your kind of thing?" Lenny asked.

Mel was silent. Everything seemed to have happened so fast, even his own actions felt as if they happened in an instant. He felt tired and wasn't sure how to respond.

"Well… that was a lot to do… so… why did you wait until I told you to shoot before you shot?" Mel asked.

"Well, you're supposed to be my spotter right? I just wanted you to get some practice" said Malerie.

Practice… yea, he'd need it wouldn't he? Despite how he hated to see it, this war wasn't going to end soon. Not only that, but the likelihood of all of these battles going this smoothly was microscopic. The reality seemed to set in a bit easier now. Maybe it was because he was tired. Maybe it was because he got a taste for the action. At this time, he wondered if Needles seen that, he always seems so clueless, so maybe not…then it came to him how this was the most dangerous thing he had ever done in his life, something even Needles had yet to do. He felt out of place within himself. After a time the four stood up and joined with some of the troops.

In the forest however, Needles and Tame continued to wander around aimlessly, the only truly eventful things being their constant bickering towards one another… and the point when they covered themselves with mud so it might help the bee stings.

"Still no idea where the fuck they went!" Needles growled.

"Coulda sworn we lost them around here" said Tame.

"Here's an idea, how about we look for the fucking nest you stomped around it, that's what got us lost in the first place!" Needles shouted.

"Fuck off Needles, I don't see you with half a clue as to where they are!" Tame shouted.

"Fuck you!" Needles shouted.

Each one was expecting the other to draw there weapon… in fact, that's how they felt ever since being lost, maybe even before, yet not once did it happen. In the distance they suddenly heard the sounds of leaves crumpling and twigs cracking. The two fell silent as they stared off towards the noise. It sounded as if someone was walking towards them, multiple people in fact. Tame and Needles looked at one another and dashed for cover with their weapons at the ready.

"Ha ha, here comes my first kill" said Needles grinning and peeking around the corner.

"Fuck you, even if you fire first you can't hit shit" said Tame.

"Funny, I think I can hit you just fucking fine" said Needles.

"Yea good one asshole, too bad you cant shoot a gun like you can your mouth" said Tame.

"Tame? Needles? Odd to see you here" said a voice.

The two quickly raised their weapons and found themselves aiming directly at Frost. The two stared at her and dropped their aim.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Tame asked.

"I'm sure I could ask you the same, though I bet I've got a much better reason" said Frost.

"What the fuck is this! What are you two assholes doing outside of camp!" Glades shouted.

"Pissing you off it looks like" said Needles.

"You're damn right you are. Do you two assholes know that I can claim you as deserters for leaving camp without notice!" Glades growled.

"Relax Glades, I doubt they're here for anything wrong" said Zaz.

"You think disobeying orders isn't wrong Zaz, these two have been nothing but trouble since they arrived. If I was a lesser man I'd have punished them severely already but I let them off easy, I'm not sure how much longer I can let them off with insubordination!" Glades growled.

"Glades, we can discuss this more at camp with General Larks, come on, let's go" said Zaz.

By now night had fallen, three mile trip through the woods, a battle, and three miles back left the recruits exhausted, many troops had been able to stay behind and man the town, so they didn't have to weather the trip back. As they went, Needles traded stories with Malerie and Mel, though he found theirs to be much more interesting.

When they returned to camp the recruits and troops made their way into the mess hall and ate. Afterwards, they were instructed to wash themselves up in a nearby pool.

"This water's bitch'n cold" said Needles trying to wash himself.

"Not sure if it's the most sanitary though" said Mel.

While they bathed the leaders assembled inside the command tent. Inside sat Larks, the general who had greeted them all and his assistant Mazzie. The others were Zaz and Glades.

"So Glades, according to your reports, Needles and Tame have been giving you trouble from the start, What is it you plan to do about them then?" Larks asked.

"They are going to be punished natural. I've been too lenient on them thus far and it has not paid off" said Glades.

"I I may make a suggestion?" added Zaz.

"Yes, what is it?" Larks asked.

"Well, I have been thinking about it for a while now… I think I may understand why Needles is such a pain to Glades" said Zaz.

"Yea, I did too, he's a trashy little punk who won't learn" said Glades.

"There is more to it than that Glades. Well, you see, Needles is very family oriented, he cares more about the people he respects and respect him, than anyone else in the world. If he is not given respect, he will disrespect in return. Not only that he is stubborn and headstrong. Try to break him and he will bite back, he does not wish to respect anyone who will give him none in return" said Zaz.

"Bullshit, that is the most disrespectful, insubordinate son of a bitch I've ever seen, he and Tame" said Glades.

"Needles does not like authority figures, anyone that he feels is going to push him around is his enemy. Your tactics for training troops will not work on him, he always wants to feel he is doing it because he wants to. What I propose is that he and Tame be transferred to my unit" said Zaz.

"Fuck that, I can handle your nephew and Tame, they just need to be pushed harder" said Glades.

"No glades, you will never earn either of their loyalties by doing that. You see, Needles ant Tame are very similar to one another, why do you think you see them fighting so much, each one is trying to prove themselves better than the other at the same time as earning their respect. My proposition will eliminate any trouble with them. Needles respects me and likely enough Tame will find that too, because I do not behave like an authority figure" Zaz explained

"You make a legitimate point, honestly Glades I think you should take him up on the offer. Put your pride aside and think for a minute, if you're not stressing over those two then you will have more time to focus on strengthening those who will listen to you" said Larks.

Glades looked between the two generals then to the ground.

"You know, you might be right Zaz… fine, take them I have more promising recruits to attend to" said Glades.

"I would also like to request something else, I believe you should put some extra focus on Mel and Malerie. I may have requested them as well but Sniping is much more in your field Glades" said Zaz.

"Why them?" Glades asked curiously.

"Because, you know their potential as much as I do, and Grant's opinion of them was high enough to warrant the request" said Zaz.

"Good point Zaz, Glades, if you have no objections then I would request you do the same" said Larks.

"What? Special training then? Heh, I'll give it a shot. Unlike your nephew those two listen. I think I can take on this request as well. You're just full of ideas today aren't ya?" Glades asked.

Zaz chuckled and began to fill out the required paper work.

An hour or so had passed since the bath. After such a long day the recruits were exhausted Mel and Malerie fell asleep rather quickly but Needles stayed awake. Despite the huge let down today was fairly entertaining, sure he got lost in the woods with the most hated guy he knows but even that had some entertainment value. Needles stared towards the ceiling of the tent. He wasn't positive about what a real battle would be like but he was relying on his guess to be accurate enough to prepare him. For now all that was left was to sleep and see what tomorrow would bring, he could only wait.

[And that's a wrap for this chapter, thought I'd start picking things up a bit. So anyway review and I shall see you all when next we meet]


End file.
